


Of Ale and Awkward Dates

by sinnerforhire



Series: Paws 'verse [2]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Arthritis, Disabled Character, First Dates, Knitting, M/M, Physical Disability, Service Dogs, Teacher Jensen, Wheelchairs, Writer Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 16:18:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9556895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinnerforhire/pseuds/sinnerforhire
Summary: Jared and Jensen go on their first date. It's a little awkward.





	

“I really wanna see this guy,” says Genevieve as she reassembles Jared’s wheelchair. “See if he’s really as gorgeous as you say.”

“More.” Jared uses his hands to lift his legs out of the passenger side footwell, since they’ve stiffened up considerably during the fifteen-minute ride to the restaurant. He grips the door as tightly as he can manage with his weakened fingers and pushes himself up to standing. Sadie stands close by his side and he leans against her for support as he hobbles to his wheelchair, looking like a ninety-year-old hunchback rather than the twenty-eight-year-old former basketball and track star that he actually is. 

He wheels up the ramp to the front door. It’s not automatic, so Gen steps in front of him to open it. “You’re not coming in,” Jared tells her as he moves toward the inner door. “No way.”

Gen opens the inner door and steps through it. Jared glares at her over his shoulder. Jensen’s sitting at a four-top in the lounge, white light flickering over his face from the candle sitting in front of him. He’s concentrating on the knitting needles in his hands, so he doesn’t see them. Gen’s eyes widen. “Holy shit, you were right.”

“ _Go_ ,” growls Jared. 

“I’m going, I’m going.” She steps through the door and lets it close.

Jared wheels over to Jensen’s table. “Hey, Jensen.”

Jensen starts. “Jared! Shit, I totally lost track of time.” He sets his needles down and slides out of his chair. “Uh, is it okay if I hug you?”

Jared grins. “You won’t hurt me, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Jensen’s face brightens. “Good,” he sighs, clearly relieved. When he does embrace Jared, he’s way more gentle than he would need to be, but it’s kind of cute. Jared hugs him back with all the strength he can muster, which isn’t much, but it’s the thought, yadda yadda. 

Jensen sits back down and stashes his needles in his bag. “I didn’t know what you’d want to drink, so I didn’t get you anything.” He nods at the folio in the middle of the table. “Do you drink?”

“Not often, but I’m allowed to, if that’s what you’re getting at,” replies Jared. He smiles in what he hopes is a reassuring way. “I’m not sick or dying or anything. You’re not gonna break me by accident. So stop worrying.”

Jensen nods, biting his lip. “I just—I’ve seen people in wheelchairs, but I’ve never really hung out with one.”

Their server arrives then and takes their drink orders. Jensen orders a pint of Shock Top, which is on special, so Jared does too. He grins at Jensen. “Hey, _I’m_ not driving.”

“Neither am I,” says Jensen. “I convinced my best friend to drive me so I could knit in the car. She’s picking me up later.”

“Can you still knit drunk?”

Jensen laughs. “Never tried. Probably shouldn’t start tonight.”

“Yeah, you are selling those.” Jared nods at Jensen’s bag. “How are you doing on those?”

“I’m right on schedule,” replies Jensen. “If I work fast, I can get four of them out first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Well, if you want to keep working, I won’t be offended.”

Jensen shakes his head. “Why would I want to knit when I could look at your pretty face instead?” He smiles at Sadie. “And yours too, pretty girl.”

Jared pets her head. “Yeah, she’s a good girl. Hard worker.”

“What all does she do for you?” asks Jensen. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Well, I have ropes on the doors at home so she can open and close them, and she can flip light switches,” says Jared. “She can open my dresser drawers, take clothes out, and help me put them on. She can pick up and carry certain things for me, and get stuff I drop. And when I’m not in the chair, she helps me balance and she can call for help if I fall.”

Jensen’s eyes widen. “Oh, so you’re not paralyzed?”

Jared shakes his head. “I have rheumatoid arthritis. I’ve had it since I was a kid, so I have a lot of joint damage. I can stand and take a few steps, but I can’t really walk. I have a really weak grip and I can’t lift more than two pounds at a time. My shoulders are severely damaged, so I can’t push a manual wheelchair. My eyes are really dry, so I can’t look at a TV or computer screen for very long, and I can’t type for very long either. I can do a lot of things myself, but I can’t cook or clean or drive, so that’s why I have a roommate. I live in a first-floor condo with a ramp and extra-wide doors and a specially-built bathroom. My parents bought it for me so I could live on my own. I used to have an office job, but I needed a couple of operations and ran out of FMLA leave, so I had to retire on disability. Now I write for disability blogs and do some consulting with small businesses on ADA issues.”

Jensen just nods and bites his lip. “You, uh…you seem really cool with it.”

Jared shrugs. “I’ve had a lot of time to adjust.” He smiles at Jensen. “Just treat me like any other guy you’ve dated. I may not be up on the latest TV, but I watch movies with audio description and listen to books on CD, and I read a lot of comics online because my laptop has a magnifier screen and they don’t have big paragraphs of text to read.”

“I don’t watch a lot of TV either,” says Jensen. “I have a day job teaching at a cyber charter school, and I coach and do private tutoring as well, so I don’t have a lot of free time.”

“And, of course, you’re saving the country one pussy hat at a time.”

Jensen grins. “Yeah, there’s that, too. My roommate is a women and gender studies professor at Etown, so being a feminist and social justice warrior is pretty much a requirement. But I believe in the resistance, even if I am a privileged white man.”

Jared nods. “Yeah, same here, although I’m on Medicare, which Ryan and Trump want to slash and burn, so I’m just as worried as the women and people of color are, even though I’m an educated white man too.”

Jensen shakes his head. “Fucking Republicans.” Their drinks arrive then, and the server takes their food orders. Jensen takes a long draught of his beer. “Changing the subject is probably a good idea. How was your day?”

“Pretty good,” answers Jared. “I finished two articles and submitted them to my editor ahead of deadline, so I can enjoy my weekend now.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t type,” says Jensen.

“I have dictation software,” replies Jared. “And both text-to-speech and a magnifier came installed on my laptop, so I can still use a computer just as well as anyone else.”

“Oh, cool.” Jensen sips his beer. “If I get too nosy or offensive, just tell me.”

“I don’t mind questions,” says Jared. “I’d rather you ask me if I can do something rather than just assuming I can’t.”

“I would never do that,” Jensen says firmly. 

“I know you wouldn’t,” Jared assures him. 

Jensen traces his finger around the top of his pint glass. “I’m making this awkward,” he complains. “I’m sorry.”

Jared reaches across the table and takes his hand. “I’m more than my disease,” he tells Jensen. “Just like you’re more than your career. We’re humans. We have hopes and dreams and fears and flaws. Let’s talk about those.”

Jensen raises an eyebrow. “Can we just bitch about Congress some more?”

Jared chuckles. “Whatever you want.”

Their food comes then—prime rib for Jensen, crab cakes for Jared—and Jensen’s eyes light up. Jared unwraps his utensils from his napkin, but the napkin falls on the floor and Sadie jumps at the chance to be useful. She returns it to him and Jared pats her on the head. “Thanks, baby.” He sets it in his lap and picks up his fork.

Jensen grins. “You’re a good team.”

“We are,” Jared agrees. “But you and I could be a pretty good team too.”

Jensen’s grin gets even wider. “I’d like to think so.”


End file.
